1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to surface mountable clips, and more particularly to surface mountable antenna clips suitable for use in mobile communication devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are typically used in most electronic devices, including mobile communication devices, mobile telephones, and PDAs. Surface-Mount Technology (SMT) allows components such as resisters, capacitors, memory chips, processors and clips to be mounted to a PCB. In order to mount a component to a PCB, a solder pad is attached to the PCB. The component is then placed on top of the solder pad, and then the PCB is passed through a reflow oven. Inside the oven, the solder melts, and the solder adheres to the component. When the solder cools, the component is firmly attached to the PCB.
Placement of the component onto the PCB is aided by a vision system. A vision system includes a camera which can detect the orientation of the component before it is placed on the PCB. The orientation is compared to stored data which specifies how the component should be orientated for placement onto the PCB. The vision system can thus determine whether the component is properly oriented. If the component is not properly oriented, then the orientation can be corrected, or the component or PCB can be rejected. This prevents components from being placed onto the solder pad on the PCB in an incorrect fashion.
The component may be a surface mountable clip which is placed and soldered onto a solder pad on the PCB in this manner. Once mounted on the PCB, the clip is utilized to receive and retain an electrical component such as an antenna. The clip may have a bottom planar surface for supporting the clip and making both a physical and electrical connection with the solder pad. When the clip is placed onto the solder pad and oven heat is applied, the surface tension of the solder may cause solder build-up at the center of the solder pad to thereby cause the solder to have arcuate top surface. The clip therefore only has a small area of contact with the solder at the center of the solder pad. This undesirably provides the clip with a tendency to rotate out-of-position during the reflow oven process, which leads to undesirable positioning and alignment errors relative to the PCB. Also, a relatively weak bond will be made with the solder pad.